Thanks for the info, that's good news. But I will miss what little food she made on the premises, especially that week-end brunch, in the summer, they had a good terrasse, always very quiet. Altough I hadn't stopped by for food since september, so I can't really be upset.

I ate at the Los Clasicos on Ste-Catherine once and I must say it was one of the more disgusting meals I've had anywhere. I was so disappointed because I'd heard such good things about the St-Laurent location. The refried beans were served at room temperature with globs of white lard throughout. It was truly revolting. I am a bit sad that I'll never get to taste the food at the other location, since the reviews had been so positive.

Never ate at the Ste-Catherine operation. Sounds like that may be a good thing. The food at the St-Laurent location was, along with the original taqueria that's since become the forgettable Taqueria Mex (St-Laurent just south of Marie-Anne), the best Mexican I've encountered in Montreal.

Taqueria Mex has been essentially the same forgettable nosh at the same location for at least 15 years. (I lived behind them in 1995.) Are you thinking of Tortilleria Maya, since moved to JTM? Or just remembering a time farther back than 15 years?

In any case, the Tortilleria at JTM has a tasty Mexican lunch counter -- though my knowledge of Mexican food is very limited, so I can't say how authentic it is or how it measures up to others.

The resto now known as Taqueria Mex was originally the Montreal outpost of a taqueria in Malibu. I think the name was different but don't recall what it was, and googling Malibu restaurants is no help.

The decor and menu were pretty much the same as now but the food was infinitely better. Among other things, they had an in-house tortilla machine located in that semi-enclosed space just west of the front counter (where the mannequin is today), and their tortillas were indeed things of beauty. They also made the best Mission-style burritos I've had this side of the Sierra Nevada.

Was turned onto it by a Mexican neighbour not long after I moved into my current apartment, which was probably sometime in the early '90s.

Have hit the Maya counter at JTM (El Rey del Taco?) a couple of times. The tamales were just OK but the tacos were as good as any I've had in the city since Taqueria Malibu (or whatever) closed.

A friend who ia a Latin American studies scholar and who has done lengthy research stays in Mexico says that rough-and-ready counter is surprisingly authentic, for humble Mexican taqueria food. He likes going there.

- They opened a restaurant with too many places.- They opened a second restaurants without enough secured funds. (probably they saw that it worked well enough with 1 restaurants and they thought it would be easy to have another one).

And my post was deleted too.... I said that they expanded way too quickly, and the second location was in a pretty seedy location. Too bad, the first place seemed to have a good following and press. But, I have to say, I saw the second location, and thought, "uh-oh". You just can't expand that quickly, especially in this fickle & slim-margin biz.

sweettooth, the St-Cath location was just east of St-Laurent, before Metropolis & Foufounes. As I said, pretty seedy (St-Lo & St-Cath: streetwalker central).